Saturday, September 18, 2010

I'm impressed with the texture and the taste and the golden color of this shortbread. But I'm most impressed with the 'perfect points!' This shortbread cuts easily and yields perfect points in the center.

I stored the shortbread overnight in a tin. When I lifted the lid of the tin the next day, the rich, buttery aroma drifted up and into my senses much like being enrobed in an old, threadbare, Grandmother - quilt.

The original recipe is from Michael Ruhlman and can be found here. One of the comments to the original post stated that this shortbread is a delightful compliment to a glass of high-quality, single malt Scotch. I didn't have Scotch; I tasted my shortbread with a steaming cup of Tazo black tea. Delicious!

Be sure you include the rice flour in the batter. It does make a difference!

sunlight and shadows:

I dusted the top of this shortbread with vanilla sugar immediately after removing from the oven.

If a blog title can taste good, this one does - brownie - chocolate - cheesecake.

When this cheesecake was removed from the oven, the top displayed a mosaic of light and dark swirls. Pretty is important.

I baked this in my favorite 8" removable-bottom cheesecake pan. The batter baked to a nice tall thick, rich, creamy chocolate goodness. This is a very rich cheesecake; cut the pieces small. And, it's at it's peak of deliciousness at room temperature.

With a brownie layer on the bottom, and a mousse-cheesecake layer on top, this is a winner. All who tasted loved this. My best compliment came from one who has tasted many of my cheesecakes. She stated this was the best ever, even better than Cheesecake Factory - her all time favorite.

I just said, ....thanks...

You can find the original recipe here. Listed below is my adaptation of the recipe.

Bake brownie cheesecake in 350 degree oven 40 - 50 minutes. Allow to cool, then refrigerate TWO DAYS to allow flavors to develop. Yes, you can eat this at any time; however, I have found that all cheesecakes are best after aging a couple of days at a minimum.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

A trip to Charleston, SC last fall led me to the Charleston Tea Plantation and this tasty black tea. A large quantity of the tea leaves harvested on this plantation are shipped offsite to Bigelow for packaging. However, the Governor Gray is an exception This tea is processed on site, and placed in cans for retail sale.

Though the tea plantation is off the beaten path, tourists find the location. The fields are directly across the road from the processing plant, where waist-high plants look toward the southern sun. A self-guided walking tour through the processing plant is available for tourists.

Stir in the chocolate chips. Add the flour, stirring until thoroughly incorporated. (I had to use my hands to combine the last of the flour into the dough.)

Use a #50 scoop, and form dough into balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Place sugar-coated cookie dough balls on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

This half-recipe made about 4 dozen cookies; however, I froze some of the cookie dough balls and baked at a later date. Today is that later date! They are just as tasty baked from previously frozen dough as they were when they were baked from freshly mixed dough.

The flavor of these cookies is all about the espresso powder. The chocolate chips seem to be present only for texture, and they do add a gooey chocolate texture.

The fluted-edge yellow pottery in the picture was purchased this summer at our local Memphis Farmers Market. 'Moon Mama Pottery,' clay creations by Michele Price (onelmichele@bellsouth.net).

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Chef Carol baked these muffins for us a few years ago, and I fondly remember the flavors melding in perfect harmony. Espresso powder and chocolate chips are a great combination, and they shine in these muffins. The proportion of each in the recipe allows them to compliment rather than overwhelm each other.

Chef Carol Borchardt of 'a thought for food,' is a home chef. I have sampled her menus and would highly recommend her services to anyone in need of her culinary skills.

Chef Carol states that this recipe is from her aunt, Bernice Janowski, who, along with Carol's mother, enjoys competing in cooking contests.

These cappuccino crumb muffins are moist inside while maintaining a sandy crumb topping. I suspect the addition of flour in the crumb topping is responsible for creating a crumb with good clumping consistency. The crumb stays on the muffin; it does not fall off as soon as you lift the muffin.

reflections:

A few days ago, the radio stated that Memphis was the second hottest city in the nation this past summer. With the Labor Day weekend at hand, football speak beginning, and a much appreciated brisk morning, I'm thinking fall is near.

With Chef Carol's permission, I list the recipe below along with a few of my adaptations.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

I'm proud of our TN artisan chocolatiers at Olive and Sinclair. I've seen their creatively wrapped chocolate bars locally in the Memphis Whole Foods. And, I felt a bit of pride for them and our state of TN when I spied their bars on the shelf of The Chocolate Box in Seattle, WA. Stiff competition exists in the artisan chocolate world on the west coast; yet, Olive and Sinclair reside assuredly on the shelf beside the big boys.

the bars are almost too cute to eat...but don't let that stop you from tasting

take a small bite - let the chocolate melt slowly on your tongue - savor the flavor; the taste will linger

About Me

food photographer, office manager, weekend baker
At any time, I'm probably reading three books...one for fun, one about cooking, and one photography book.
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